Five not-real dates (of which Blaine wasn't even aware)
by rokeat
Summary: Just some weeks after finding out about Blaine's crush on him, Sam discovers he is also totally in love with his best friend. But since he initially rejected him, he wants to tell him in the most special way, so he tries to take him to the perfect date. Only to fail one time after the other. BLAM.


_**A/N:** Just a little silly fluffy thing :)_

* * *

 **FIVE NOT-REAL DATES (OF WHICH BLAINE WASN'T EVEN AWARE)**

 **DATE-ATTEMPT NUMBER 1**

Sam sighed dreamily as he watched Blaine from a distance, while the shorter guy chatted and joked with Tina next to the girl's locker, while being so smiley, handsome and simply perfect as he usually was. Yeah, okay, Sam's crush on his best friend was getting out of hand since he had discovered that he was starting to reciprocate Blaine's feelings for him, he was aware of that. But Blaine was just so… And when they were together they were so… So yeah, Sam had ended up falling in love with him too. There. He had admitted it. What now?

He guessed he could tell him: he knew Blaine well enough to know he was not one for grandiloquent gestures –everything he had pulled up until then had always been for Kurt, not for himself–, and he knew if there was something Blaine absolutely loved about their friendship was the familiarity and the warmth of it, the fact that they were so comfortable with each other that they could talk about absolutely everything, how easy and natural it was for them to open their hearts to each other. And given how Blaine had admitted he had feelings for him only a few weeks ago during the guilty pleasures week –which seemed to be pretty intense too, if the way he sang _Against all odds_ to him was any prove of it–, wouldn't he be delighted if Sam confessed he reciprocated his feelings now? And that he was more than willing for them to give their feelings a try –because come on, if they were so amazingly important to each other as friends, imagine adding a bit of love into the mix! They would be like the greatest and more powerful couple ever– now that they seemed to be on the same page?

But how do you say that to your best friend all of a sudden? Especially when you rejected him only a few weeks ago, even if it had been in the gentlest possible way and that hadn't affected their friendship? How did you go to him one day and say _"hey dude, could I borrow your Spanish notes? Oh, and by the way, have I ever told you I'm totally in love with you?_ " It was… weird, to say the least. And even if it wasn't, Blaine deserved something else. Something more. He didn't need grandiloquent gestures, but he deserved some kind of gesture. Like a… date? Yeah, that may be the perfect solution: he could take him out on a date and then confess his love to him. And then Blaine would probably cry a little with emotion and Sam would kiss him and everything would be like in the movies. Because their love would be like Casablanca's. Or any other romantic movie that ended with the couple still together, preferably –he would have to give it some thought, probably.

Anyway the thing was that he was going to make things right, he decided as he saw Blaine was now walking to him with that impossibly wide and warm smile that never failed to make Sam's knees go weak when it was directed at him –and because he knew that Blaine only gave that kind of smile to him and no one else, which made him feel like the most fortunate guy in the world–: he would ask him on a date, without necessarily telling him it was a date so he wouldn't suspect anything, and then they would be together forever. Easy, right?

"Hey, B" Sam warmly greeted his friend when the latter finally reached him next to his locker.

"Hey, Sammy" Blaine tenderly answered, and Sam's heart inevitably fluttered more intensely at the nickname and how sweet it sounded from Blaine's perfect lips. "What's up?"

"Do you have any plans for Saturday?" Sam bluntly asked, and he breathed deeply a couple of times to try and calm his heart down before he screwed it up too badly too soon.

"Yeah" Blaine happily answered, unaware of how he was crushing Sam's hopes. "Hanging out with my best friend as usual, right? Or do you have other plans?" Blaine's smile instantly froze on his face, and Sam got encouraged by the fact that Blaine seemed honestly bummed at the possibility of not spending his Saturday with him, as they usually did.

"No, of course not!" Sam rushed to answer, wanting for that frown on Blaine's face to be replaced by his shining smile again as soon as possible, and his hand went to rest reassuringly on Blaine's shoulder for good measure. "My Saturdays are always for you, you know that"

Ok, maybe he had been a bit too intense with that, judging by the awkward silence that followed his words. But anyway, he was not going to let himself be discouraged by then, so Sam just noticeably cleared his throat and continued talking.

"I was going to suggest something different"

"Oh" Blaine exclaimed, clearly relieved. "What is it?"

"Tina and Artie were talking about a new horror movie coming out this weekend. They said it looks pretty scary! I thought we could go and give it a try, it's been ages since we last went to the movies" what could be more perfect than a date on a cinema, where it was dark and private, and with a scary movie so he could pretend to protect Blaine if he got scared and they could get snuggly on their seats? That would definitely put them in the mood for romance, right?

"Oh, it's a great idea!" Blaine quickly agreed, his usual enthusiasm almost making him bounce on his feet. "Horror, though? You know they really scare me, and I'm alone at home this weekend"

"Oh, I will protect you" Sam answered in a flirty tone, squeezing Blaine's shoulder again. "And then I can sleep at yours if that's alright with you" He was a genius, wasn't he?

"Sure, It will be fun!" Blaine excitedly answered, and Sam thought he could kiss him right there and then, he was so adorable. "I'll go tell the guys immediately, they will be excited about it, we haven't done anything together in ages!"

"No, wait!" Sam shouted at Blaine's retreating back, but he was so fast he was already out of earshot. While going to invite more people to _their_ _date._

Shit, why the hell did he have to mention Artie and Tina while trying to invite Blaine on a date? He didn't have any idea about what Sam was planning, of course it had confused him. And now, instead of a date –or even the usual weekly hangout with Blaine– he had to meet all the glee club for a movie he didn't even care about in the least. No offense to the guys, of course, he loved them, but Saturdays were supposed to be his special day with his beloved best friend –hopefully something more soon–. Especially this Saturday. Just… uggh!

* * *

Of course there hadn't been a way to defuse the situation after Blaine personally told each and every one of the glee club members about their movie evening on Saturday. Sam was sure he would have even invited Mr. Schue if he wasn't a teacher and it wasn't so awkward. Sam absolutely loved how big Blaine's heart was and how important it was for him that everyone felt good and included in their little family but… sometimes he wished he wasn't so kind. Like right then.

Anyway, no use in spending more time torturing himself for making the stupid mistake that had lead them to a group meeting. He should probably try and have some fun. Blaine was going, after all. And the cinema was still a dark place, wasn't it? Maybe he could make some advances on Blaine during the movie with no one else hearing them and tell him he loved in the intimacy of his room that night? They were having a sleepover after all –if he hadn't invited anyone else, of course, because Sam couldn't be sure.

So after buying tickets and supplies for everyone, they finally arrived to their theatre and searched for their seats –Sam had to light the area with his phone because they were late, thanks to Unique's unpunctuality–. Blaine, being the gentleman he usually was, entered their row the first, not wanting for anyone else to be left in the end of the row. Great, Sam though with a triumphal smile, he's all mine: if they got to be the last in the row no one would hear or see them if he decided to act. He was so abstracted in his thoughts that he lost his grip on the phone he still had in his hand and it fell to the floor. Fortunately nothing happened to it thanks to his case, but in the half second it took him to bend down to pick it up, Tina had already passed him by and was already sitting down next to Blaine. Fuck.

Of course as the movie had already started –and the people behind them were already protesting at their noisy arrival–, he couldn't make a scene and scold Tina for taking his place. And Tina wouldn't probably agree about that being his place anyway, so with a resigned sign he sat between Tina and Kitty and tried to look as if he was not massively annoyed at their sitting arrangements.

But no. Sorry, no way, he had planned that movie date for Blaine and he was not willing to stay away from him for the entire movie. Especially when he knew Blaine got really scared sometimes with horror movies –and he had accepted watching it only for him– and he had promised to protect him.

"Come on, Tina, trade places with me" Sam said, already grabbing his jacket to stand up and change his seat, as if there was no other option for her than to agree.

"No, why should I?" she quickly denied, of course. She was not going to make it easy for him –after all, she wanted Blaine all for herself too, right?

"Duh, because I want to sit with Blaine" Sam answered, not even bothering to be nice to the annoying girl that always wanted to get in the way when it came to curly-haired boy.

"I want to sit with Blaine too!" she protested –obviously he thought the same about him, right?

"Then trade places with him" he retorted, as that way they could both sit next to Blaine. It wasn't the ideal situation at all, because it was less intimate if they had people at both their sides, but at least they would get to be together.

"But I don't want to be the last in the row!" Tina groaned, knowing that if Blaine got to sit with Sam, they would probably forget about her in a minute and she would end up watching the movie as if she was alone.

"Come on, Tina, do that for me! I'll wash your car once a week for a whole month" Sam tried to bribe her, knowing he was not going to convince her any other way.

"Why is it so important?" she asked, surprised at the strange offer.

"Because…" Sam was close to tell her the truth before he stopped himself, impatient as he was for her to move so he could finally get to Blaine before the frights started. "Because he is my best friend and we always have a lot of fun when commenting on scary movies"

"Two months" she offered even if she was not entirely convinced at the answer.

"Deal" Sam immediately agreed, not giving her time to change her mind, and he motioned for her impatiently to move, to which she complied in desperation.

"Alright" she said a little too loudly, until the people behind them shushed them again. "But you better make my car shine for the next two months"

"Spick and span, I promise" Sam answered as he let himself noisily fall at the seat previously occupied by Tina, finally at Blaine's side.

Blaine looked at them at surprise, but the smile that decorated his face as soon as he saw it was Sam the one who was going to be with him during the movie told the blond he had made a good decision.

"Hey" Sam said with a reciprocating smile to his friend.

"Hey!" Blaine answered with the biggest grin, and Sam was glad to see he seemed genuinely happy to see him, even if a bit surprised. "What's up?"

"Can't a guy want to sit with his most special friend?" Sam said in what he hoped sounded like a flirty tone, though Blaine took it as a joke and warmly chuckled at him –which didn't bother Sam too much, as making Blaine laugh was one of his favorite things in the world anyway.

"Sure" Blaine agreed as his eyes turned to the screen again.

"And I promised to protect you, didn't I?" Sam asked as his hand tenderly –and suggestively– squeezed Blaine's thigh.

"You did" Blaine answered, as he looked quizzically at Sam for a second.

Sam just smiled awkwardly at his friend –he was very aware he was confusing him instead of seducing him with his clumsiness– and turned his eyes to the screen. He would have to be more patient, and try to make Blaine feel comfortable and in the mood for romance before so blatantly trying to make a move on him. After all, Blaine was completely unaware of Sam's feelings for him –the only time he had asked him if he had feelings for him, Sam had answered that he didn't–, and at this rate he was going to scare him away before he got the chance to tell him he loved him.

But Blaine didn't seem to be uncomfortable at all, and as soon as the first fright of the movie came out, he jumped on his seat and moved to ferociously grip Sam's arm. So ferociously in fact that Sam was sure it would leave some bruises. But he couldn't care less about it: it felt so good to know that Blaine would turn to him when in need of protection that it barely hurt. And the embarrassing grin Blaine gave him as he got a grip on himself was so adorable that Sam felt as if he was melting.

"Sorry" Blaine whispered with a chuckle, relieved at the knowledge that Sam would never judge him for being scared.

"Don't worry, that's what I'm here for" Sam answered, realizing it felt pretty good to be Blaine's hero –even if he had given himself that title.

As the movie continued, Sam felt a bit a guilty for a second at the nervous and appalled expression on Blaine's face and the tight grip he was keeping on the armrest. Ok, so the boy hadn't been joking about getting scared with horror movies. Maybe he should have taken him to a romantic one, that would also have gotten them in the right mood, right? Although it would have probably been too obvious.

Maybe if he physically protected him with an arm around his shoulders –as he had promised to do anyway– Blaine would relax and get to enjoy the movie. Or to avoid a heart attack, at least. And wouldn't it be romantic? Sam could hardly keep a smile out of his face as he imagined how Blaine would blush at first when he first felt Sam's hand on his shoulder, but then he would give Sam one of his million-dollar smiles and with a bit of luck he would end up resting his head on Sam's shoulder. And maybe Sam would even kiss the top of his head then. And then, as soon as they got rid of the other guys, Sam would tell him he loved him and they would be happy ever after. Yeah, it sounded like the perfect plan.

Very carefully so Blaine wouldn't notice until Sam's arm was effectively around his shoulders, Sam raised his arm and straightened it behind Blaine's head, taking advantage of Blaine's concentration on the screen and on the soda he was drinking through a straw. But the time couldn't have been worse, and Sam's hand made contact with Blaine's shoulder just at the same exact instant when the next fright took place, and Blaine jumped out of his skin when he noticed something touching his side –the side where there was no one sitting next to him–. He tried to scream, but as he was in the middle of swallowing his drink he ended up having a coughing fit. And that was not even the worst of it, Sam realized, as the plastic cup Blaine had been holding in his hand escaped from his grip and all its drink ended up soaking Blaine's sweater.

"You okay?" Sam immediately asked, worried that Blaine was going to end up chocking.

"You scared me!" Blaine was able to protest between coughs.

"Easy, dude" Sam said as he slapped his back in an attempt of stopping his coughing it did some serious damage. "Try to take some deep breaths"

The couple behind them shushed them again, but this time Sam was too upset about what had just happened to just take it in silence.

"Oh, I'm sorry, is my friend's desperate attempts to regain his breath messing up with your fun?" he retorted angrily, and fortunately the couple seemed too embarrassed about their lack of sympathy and didn't say anything else.

"It's okay, Sam" Blaine whispered, his voice painfully hoarse after his coughing fit. "I'm alright now"

"You sure?" Sam asked, tenderly resting a hand on Blaine's forearm to check he was not lying.

"Yeah" Blaine simply answered, by Sam found it hard to believe due to the upset expression on his face.

"I'm sorry I scared you, I just wanted…" Sam tried to apologize, but of course Blaine was his usual all-heart self and didn't need it.

"I know, don't worry" he simply said, his eyes returning to the screen. "Let's just keep watching the movie"

Sam tried to obey, but he couldn't. Blaine's eyes and stance looked so sad and upset that Sam knew there was something wrong with him without even having to ask.

"You sure you're okay?" he couldn't stop himself from asking, hating to see Blaine in less than a perfect mood.

"Yes" Blaine answered with a little smile that quite obviously didn't reach his eyes.

"You really sure?" Sam insisted because come on, he knew Blaine like the back of his hand and that was surely not his happy face.

"It's just… It's kind of cold and sticky with all the drink I spilled on myself" Blaine explained, trying to unglue his sweater from his skin with the tip of his fingers. "And…"

"And?" Sam encouraged him to continue, knowing there was something else ruining Blaine's mood.

"And I ruined my sweater" Blaine lamented in a small voice that didn't fail to break Sam's heart.

Of course Blaine would be sad about the sweater. His new, white and expensive sweater he had been so proud of just an hour ago as he showed it to Sam –who had been very close to telling him it suited him so much that he was the most handsome man in the face of the Earth, though fortunately he had been able to refrain and just comment on how beautiful the sweater was–. And now it was ruined thanks to Sam. Great, just great.

"I'm so sorry, B" Sam quickly apologized, feeling like the worst person ever for putting that sadness in his friend's gorgeous eyes.

"It's okay, Sam, it wasn't your fault" Blaine unsurprisingly forgave him in a heartbeat.

"Well, it was, I scared you" Sam reminded him with a tone of regret.

"Yeah, but you didn't know I was going to get such a fright. You were only going for a joke, right?" Blaine asked, and Sam felt a tiny pang on pain in his heart that Blaine didn't know that what he had been trying to do was very far away from being a joke.

"Yes, of course" Sam lied, relieved that at least Blaine didn't seem to be angry at him. But of course he didn't need to worry, Blaine was great like that, right?

"Then forget it, I'm being a spoilt kid" Blaine tried to reassure him with another smile so they could keep watching the movie.

But it didn't feel right. Some minutes passed and Blaine still had the same upset expression that was making Sam die with guilt. Way to get Blaine in a romantic mood, spoiling the entire afternoon for him. And he did have the right to be upset even if he didn't feel like it, because Sam knew how much he liked that sweater and how long he had been saving money to buy it. And Sam had ruined it for him.

"It's okay to be upset about it, you know?" Sam whispered after a while, when he noticed Blaine was not even concentrated in the movie anymore.

"You think?" Blaine asked, his eyes full of hope that Sam wouldn't think he was so materialistic. "You don't think I'm being too shallow?"

"Of course not! It's important to you, so it's important to me too" Sam honestly said. "And since I'm sleeping over at yours, I have the perfect plan for the night: we'll look on the internet how to get out a coke stain from a sweater like this and we won't stop until we achieve it. How does that sound?"

That would have been like the last thing on his mind to do that night at Blaine's –after all, he was supposed to be telling Blaine how in love he was with him and then they should kiss and hold hands and that kind of things boyfriends do, right?–, but the smile that suddenly broke on Blaine's lips and the joy in his huge eyes at Sam's idea made it all worth it.

"Sam, you're the best" Blaine said, his voice full of gratitude as he hooked his arm with Sam's and trustingly rested his head on Sam's shoulder.

And well, that wasn't so bad either, Sam thought as he smiled and let his head rest on Blaine's for the rest of the movie.

 **DATE-ATTEMPT NUMBER 2**

Sam wasn't going to let himself get discouraged after their failed date. It hadn't been that bad –he still got to spend the night with Blaine– and they had been able to save Blaine's sweater after the fifth attempt, after all, while having a good laugh about it –and his heart still melted every time he remembered how Blaine's eyes had looked even bigger than usual with happiness when that happened and how he had jumped at Sam's arms in gratitude–. So his relationship with Blaine was closer and greater than ever. And his plan was still on.

Since it had been unusually warm already for that time of the year for some days now, and the news had said it would remain like that for some more, Sam thought maybe a completely different kind of date would be appropriate: a day at the lake. Nature, sun, hopefully some privacy if it wasn't too crowded… And if it was warm enough they could even have a bath. Which would imply the inevitably loss of clothes. And he was proud to admit he was very aware of what the vision of his body could do to Blaine, so… yeah, it was like the perfect idea.

Convincing Blaine to spend the day with him was the easiest thing, of course. And the lake idea seemed to appeal him enough too –after all Sam knew he had been quite stressed with school and his NYADA application lately, and it seemed like the perfect plan to relax–. The most difficult thing was to make him understand he was inviting only him without it being too obvious. But Sam had talked about how he was dying to spend the day with his best friend –and not including anybody else in the offer–, and how it was especially designed for him to relax, so that even if they would use Blaine's car –as Sam didn't have one–, Sam would drive and take care of the food and the drinks and everything so Blaine wouldn't have to do anything. And fortunately Blaine understood that they would be going on their own.

True to his word, Sam appeared at Blaine's door first thing on Saturday morning so that Blaine wouldn't even have to drive to pick him up –and Blaine had obviously admonished him for it, but Sam still could see how moved he was at the gesture by the smile he could hardly keep out from his lips–. And after they had put everything in the car, Sam tenderly ruffled Blaine's unusually gel-free curls and opened the passenger's door for him in a very gentlemanly way that he was glad to see it made Blaine's cheeks blush and then moved to the driver's seat himself. Everything was working out perfectly and he couldn't wait to see the reaction in Blaine's face when he told him he loved him after spending the most romantic day at the lake together.

Just the ride there was already perfect, as Sam had prepared a special tracklist on his mp3 player with all of Blaine's favorite songs –he indeed knew him like the back of his hand, so it wasn't difficult at all– that had predictably put him in the best of moods and he had been singing and fooling around the whole trip. And since there was nothing that Sam liked more than hearing Blaine's voice either singing or laughing, it had been quite an enjoyable trip for him too.

Sam had picked the perfect place for their date, with a beautiful landscape and only a small space for them to spread out their towels between the water and the trees behind them, so Sam hoped no one else would go there. So he parked the car and tried to carry everything they had brought himself to be a gentleman, but of course Blaine didn't let him and rushed to share the load with the brightest smile Sam had ever seen on him.

Sam didn't lose a second to spread both his and Blaine's towels as close to the water as they could manage without touching it, and then he took off his shirt and his pants until he was left only in his bathing suit. He could hardly keep a smile of his face when he noticed how hard Blaine was trying to pretend he didn't want to look at his half naked body –because even if Sam knew Blaine loved him for a thousand things aside from his looks, it was always flattering and funny to see how much the sight of his body affected the shorter boy–, but it immediately erased from his face when he noticed Blaine only took his pants off, but his t-shirt remained covering his chest as he awkwardly sat next to Sam.

"Come on, take off your shirt! Don't tell me you're going to be embarrassed around me at this stage!" Sam tried to use a light tone so as not to make a big deal out of it, but his heart broke a little at the thought that Blaine would feel embarrassed about his own body. If only he could see how beautiful he was to Sam's eyes…

"No, of course not" Blaine answered, blushing when he realized Sam had guessed about his thoughts and hesitations.

"And that's why we came here, right? So we can sunbathe a bit and even have a bath if the water is not to cold" Sam tried to encourage him to not give a shit about it, but when the hesitation still didn't disappear from Blaine's eyes, he decided to change strategies. "Come on, you know you'll look even hotter than usual with a bit of a tan"

And Sam knew he had said the right thing when, even above all the blushing, Blaine smiled shyly at him.

"You're right" Blaine agreed as he finally took his t-shirt off and carefully folded it at his side. "About the sunbathing, I'm not that sure about the water"

"We'll see about that" Sam joked as he got up on his knees and gently pushed on the back of Blaine's shoulders to get him to lie on his stomach. "Now lie down, come on, we came here so you could relax"

"Ok" Blaine complied and let himself be pushed to the ground, if only because Sam wasn't giving him much option, but when Sam climbed on top of him and straddled him around his hips he practically jumped on surprise –only Sam's weight keeping him from bolting. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to put some sunscreen on your back" Sam rushed to explain his intentions before he scared Blaine away too much –he hadn't mean to make it look as something sexual or anything, damn it, he wasn't being that subtle, right?–. "We don't want you to get sunburnt, do we?"

"I guess" Blaine hesitantly agreed, even if it was obvious that he thought Sam was acting a little weird –but that was Blaine, Sam knew, he would follow him to the end of the world if he just asked him because that's how much he trusted him, even if he sometimes didn't get him–. "Though I don't usually get sunburnt"

"Better safe than sorry" Sam added, getting a generous amount of sunscreen on Blaine's soft skin.

"Uh, it's cold" Blaine protested with a chuckle before Sam's hands started spreading the lotion on his naked skin, which felt so incredibly amazing that he had to fight against himself not to purr. "You're the one who should be putting it on, you're skin is much lighter than mine"

"Ok, you can do me after I do you" Sam blurted out before he was even aware of how it sounded. "You know what I mean"

"Do I?" Blaine whispered, still not sure about Sam's strange behavior, but then the blond's hands started working on his sore muscles instead of just applying the sunscreen and he forgot all about it. "Oh, that feels so nice"

"Then relax and enjoy it. I'll give you a little massage while applying the sunscreen, ok?" Sam answered, smiling at how he could so clearly feel Blaine coming undone in spite of himself beneath his skilful hands.

"Uh-huh" Blaine moaned sleepily in agreement, crossing his arms in front of him so he could pillow his head on them, all awkwardness forgotten on behalf of comfort and pleasure.

"You are really tense" Sam commented, fondly shaking his head at how hard Blaine tried every day of his life and how good he was at pretending he wasn't that stressed –even if the tension of his muscles told a very different story.

"I know" Blaine admitted, drowsiness making him forget about pretending.

"I'm going to take care of that" Sam promised, working on a particular difficult knot on one of his shoulders.

"Sounds good" Blaine agreed, his voice slurred with sleep.

Sam forgot for a moment about his intentions and just concentrated in making his friend feel good and taking all his aches away, because he hated it when Blaine was not feeling well and when he thought he needed to work himself so hard. Because taking care of Blaine was second nature to him –just as the other way around–, and from then on his goal in life was going to be making Blaine happy at all costs.

One particularly deep breath told Sam that Blaine had relaxed so much that he had fallen asleep –he indeed had to be pretty stressed and tired to let go of himself like that, Sam realized with a chuckle–. His heart warmed with affection as his gaze moved to Blaine's face, so relaxed and beautiful in his sleep, and Sam didn't have the heart to wake him up now that he was finally getting the peace and the rest he so obviously needed.

Sam's spirits didn't falter one bit, though, because the day was still young and he didn't think Blaine would sleep for so long. And he would probably wake up relaxed and refreshed, feeling lighter and happier than ever thanks to Sam's ministrations, so that would probably work on Sam's favor in the end. So with that happy thought in his head, Sam bent over to gently kiss Blaine's temple and then let himself fall next to Blaine, copying his posture, intent of spending Blaine's nap just looking at his beautiful face and daydreaming about how the day would end up for them –hopefully with some pretty awesome news.

* * *

Sam sighed happily as he felt a hand gently caressing the top of his head. Or it was more like… patting it? It still felt good, though, especially when he realized that hand belonged to his beloved Blaine and the boy was whispering something in his ear.

"Sam?" Blaine repeated, and by the urgency in his voice Sam wondered if he had been calling him for a long time now. Had maybe he fallen asleep too?

"What?" Sam answered in spite of himself, as he really didn't want to leave that happy place where Blaine's gentle hand patted his head and his sweet voice whispered in his ear, but his illusion broke in an explosion of pain as soon as he tried to stretch his limbs. "Ouch! What the hell?" he exclaimed before he was even aware of it.

"Sam, I guess we fell asleep and I don't know how long we've been out but it was for some hours at least and your back is sunburned pretty badly" Blaine explained with a more than a hint of guilt in his voice –so that's why he had been trying to wake him up through his head, as he didn't dare to touch his back–.

"I'm sure it's not that bad" Sam tried to reassure him, not wanting to make him feel guilty, but as soon as he tried to sit up he thought he was going to cry with pain. "Shit, or maybe it is"

"We should go home immediately and put some aftersun lotion on you as quickly as possible" Blaine suggested as he carefully grabbed Sam's forearm to help him stand and guided him to his car. "We might even need to visit the ER"

"I don't think that will be necessary" Sam tried to play macho, not wanting for Blaine to think he was weak and whiny, but as soon as his back touched the backrest of the passenger seat he let out a shriek that didn't sound as masculine as he would have liked.

"Why don't you lie on the backseats?" Blaine said, and Sam was appalled to see his eyes seemed to be getting glassy as if he was trying hard not to cry, so guilty he was feeling. "I'll just gather our things and be back in a second"

"Hey" Sam said, grabbing his hand just before Blaine flew from his side. "It wasn't your fault"

"It was" Blaine answered with a shaky sigh. "You made sure I wouldn't get sunburned and then I was so selfish that I let myself fall asleep before making sure you would be safe too"

"Hey, look at me" Sam said as he made a big effort to raise his arm high enough so he could drive a finger under Blaine's chin to lift his face and make him look at him. "You didn't fall asleep on purpose. And I'm not a baby, it was stupid for me too to fall asleep without the sunscreen. It was an accident, ok?"

"Ok" Blaine reluctantly agreed, even if Sam could see he wasn't entirely convinced. "But I'll make it up to you by taking care of you this afternoon, ok?"

"Deal" Sam immediately agreed, both because he knew that would make Blaine feel better and because he couldn't wait to spend the afternoon with Blaine taking care of him, even if he was really in pain and he knew it was going to remain that way for at least at couple of days.

True to his word, Blaine helped Sam change to the backseats to lie down on his stomach and then gathered their things in record time, only taking the time to put on his t-shirt, not even bothering about the pants. And all along the trip back, he kept talking to Sam about the most random things, which Sam knew it was only to keep him distracted so he wouldn't think about the pain so much. And boy, it did hurt. He didn't want to even imagine how it would feel in a few hours.

Of course the fact that he was lying down didn't let him see through the windows, and it wasn't until Blaine was carefully helping him out of the car that Sam noticed that the little bastard had really taken him to the ER. But before he could even start to protest, Blaine was already talking to someone and Sam was ushered inside without the chance to even opening his mouth.

It wasn't until an hour later that he was released from the hospital –an hour in which Blaine hadn't moved an inch away from him, even while he was being treated–, and even if he would never admit it, Sam was glad that Blaine had taken him to the hospital because that thing they had given them had really helped, and now he could almost stand the brush of his t-shirt on his sensitive back. The doctors had sternly scolded them for their imprudence, but in the end they had proven pretty helpful. But if Blaine thought he was going to thank him for tricking him into visiting a doctor…

"I'm really sorry that happened" Blaine apologized as he drove towards Sam's, his face the perfect picture of misery and guilt. "I'm an awful friend"

"Hey, you take that back right now! Nobody says something like that about my best friend without getting a taste of my wrath!" Sam joked, hoping to elicit a smile on his best friend's beautiful face. Which he did, even if small. "Jokes aside, Blaine, it wasn't your fault any more than mine, and nobody died, you know?"

"Yeah, but now you're in pain instead of spending the perfect day at the lake you had so meticulously planned" Blaine lamented with a guilty sigh that went directly to Sam's heart.

"You said you were going to take care of me, though, right? So I think I'm going to spend the perfect day anyway, even if not at the lake" Sam assured him with a wink and when Blaine chuckled he knew he had finally made him feel better.

And if he did have to wait a couple more days to tell him he loved him… Well, so be it, he was going to enjoy his company anyway until then.

 **DATE-ATTEMPT NUMBER 3**

Maybe trying to be so original was the problem… Of course Blaine couldn't possibly know it was a date if it didn't look like a date at all! Maybe he should try going for a more classic date: nice restaurant, delicious dinner, candlelight… Maybe even some wine… Anything to create the most romantic atmosphere to tell Blaine how much he loved him. No chance of something like that failing, right?

"Hey, B" he said as he joined his friend next to his locker on Friday morning, trying to sound casual even if he was dying with anticipation.

"Hey, Sammy" Blaine answered with his unique smile –that one Sam knew he only gave him–, as always happy to see him.

"I was thinking about doing something different tomorrow" Sam suggested, just as if he had just gotten the idea.

"You don't enjoy our movie marathons anymore?" Blaine said, clearly disappointed as if he was afraid Sam was starting to get bored of his company.

"Of course I do, you know they're my favorite thing ever!" Sam rushed to reassure him, cursing his inability to explain himself –and hurting his friend in the process–. "I just thought it would be nice to do something special for my best friend"

"Really?" Blaine asked, his disappointment quickly replaced by the hint of a blush and more than a little curiosity. "What for?"

"I don't know, as a thank you for being such a great friend" Sam quickly improvised, even if he wasn't lying one bit. "I just got my paycheck from the pizza place and I want to repay you for all the times you've paid for me"

"You don't have to, Sam" Blaine, unsurprisingly, opposed to the idea, but Sam was having none of it.

"But I want to" he insisted, and the shy smile that appeared on Blaine's lips told him he had convinced him. "So can I borrow your car this afternoon? I want to pick you up. It's a date, so we've got to make things right"

Blaine laughed at what sounded like one of Sam's typical jokes, and Sam didn't mind it too much because he would make sure to correct him later, while under the candlelight.

"Ok, so where are you taking me?" Blaine asked, playing along with his crazy best friend.

"That, my boy, is a surprise" Sam said with his most intriguing tone before winking playfully at Blaine and leaving him there to wonder. "Just make sure to dress up. I want to show you off"

"O… ok" Blaine stuttered in embarrassment as Sam walked away, feeling quite proud of himself about how he had gotten his friend blushing and speechless with his charm.

* * *

Sam parked Blaine's car at his door a couple of minutes before the time he had told Blaine through a text he would pick him up, just so he could be sure Blaine wouldn't be waiting for him outside and he could make things right: ring the bell to his home, give him the flowers he had brought for him, tell him how beautiful he looked… Things he knew Blaine would really appreciate even if he thought Sam was only joking.

So taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, Sam rearranged his tie –that he had needed to borrow from Burt but come on, what he wouldn't do for Blaine– and rang the bell to his house. It only took Blaine half a minute to open the door –he was probably already getting ready to go outside anyway–, and the way his mouth fell at Sam's presence and the impeccable way he had dressed for their _date_ was so comical that it made Sam chuckle.

"Hey" Sam said as he stepped in to take Blaine into his arms for a not-so-quick embrace.

"Hey" Blaine answered, also clinging to Sam for a little longer than necessary, the blond gladly noticed.

"You look gorgeous" Sam commented as soon as the embrace broke and he had a chance to get a good look at his friend –and yes, he had planned to say that, but he was indeed looking so beautiful in his smart clothes and his lightly gelled hair that Sam's heart skipped a beat.

"Wow, Sam… Thanks" Blaine answered, his cheeks turning to a dark crimson that made him look all the more adorable. "You look very handsome too"

"Oh, and I brought you this" Sam continued as he produced a small bunch of flowers and deposited it in Blaine's hands.

Sam could see his advances were being really appreciated when he noticed how Blaine had been left speechless, the only motion on the boy when he unconsciously moved to smell the flowers Sam had presented to him.

"You're taking this date thing a bit too far, don't you think?" Blaine joked after a second, while searching for a vase to put the flowers in, but the wide smile in his face only told Sam how moved he was at Sam's gestures and how much he was enjoying them.

"You've got no idea, my friend" Sam joked as he offered his arm for Blaine to hook his around it. "Ready?"

"Sure" Blaine answered as he took Sam's arm and let himself be guided to his own car, where Sam obviously opened the door for him as he blushed like an idiot.

* * *

"Sam, isn't this place a bit too expensive?" Blaine asked in a worried voice as they entered the restaurant Sam had taken him to.

"I told you I wanted to do something special for my friend" Sam answered before he told the waiter about their reservation and the latter guided them to their table.

"Still…" Blaine hesitated, blushing for like the hundredth time as Sam pulled his chair out for him to sit, and he quickly complied.

"Just relax, dude" Sam said, taking Blaine's hand in his across the table to squeeze it for a second. "Let's just enjoy our date, ok?"

"Ok" Blaine answered, his eyes huge with confusion –and more than a little exhilaration.

"Hey, so what do you think, should we order some wine?" Sam suggested with a mischievous smile while pretending to look very seriously at his menu.

"We are underage, Sam, and they will notice, they will never give us wine"

"Speak for yourself, I look like a grownup all dressed up like that"

"You will never fool them"

"Wanna bet?"

"Do you gentlemen already know what you will be having?" the waiter from before interrupted their conversation as he suddenly appeared at their side.

As they were not used to restaurants like that and they didn't know what half of the menu was –but they didn't want to show how out of place they really were–, they ordered the first thing they got their eyes on at the menu, trying to pretend they knew what they were talking about.

"It's a special night for me and my date today" Sam said with a wink to Blaine, before he seriously turned to the waiter again. "So we thought we'd celebrate with a bit of wine. Would you be so kind so as to recommend us one?"

"Oh, we have this one that it's excellent, Sir" the waiter politely answered while signaling something at the menu, as Sam had obviously fooled him with his fake impeccable manners. "It would go great with what you've ordered"

"Excellent" Sam answered in the same tone from before, to which Blaine had to cover his mouth with his napkin so the waiter wouldn't see how hard he was trying not to laugh.

"How could you say all that without laughing?" Blaine asked with a laugh as soon as the waiter was out of earshot.

"Hey, I'll tell you I'm a pretty good actor" Sam answered, breaking into laughter too at Blaine's contagious happiness.

"I can see that" Blaine agreed, as he tried to settle down before they started getting too much attention in a serious place like that. "I hope you've never faked with me, though"

Blaine's innocent comment gave Sam a lot to think. Because yeah, he had been faking with Blaine for some time now. But it was for a good cause. And it was going to end that same night.

* * *

The dinner was a pretty enjoyable occasion: the food was excellent, the wine made them feel as if they were grownups, and the conversation was flowing with so much ease and fun that before they knew it, it was almost time for dessert. And there was so much joy in Blaine's very shiny eyes –they were practically gleaming, Sam noticed– and in the way he couldn't stop laughing for a second that Sam knew it was the right moment to start their conversation. The most important conversation of his life, Sam reminded himself with a deep breath to gather the necessary courage to tell his best friend he was in love with him.

"So Blaine, I've been wanting to talk to you about something…" Sam hesitantly started when the conversation faltered for a couple of seconds.

"Really?" Blaine asked with surprise.

"Yes, really" Sam answered with a nervous chuckle.

"Isn't this tablecloth really beautiful?" Blaine suddenly asked, completely out of the blue, while bending over to examine it more closely.

"I guess" Sam answered with a shrug of his shoulders. "But what I meant to tell you is…"

"And look, the napkins match the tablecloth! How great is that?" Blaine exclaimed, more than a little too enthusiastically, as if he had never seen table linens before.

"Hey, could you maybe listen to me? This is important" Sam begged, more surprised than really annoyed at Blaine's attitude, as he was usually the greatest listener in the world. Maybe he had guessed Sam's intentions and was trying to change the subject so he wouldn't have the chance to tell him? Maybe he didn't have feelings for Sam anymore and was trying to avoid the situation?

"Sorry, go on" Blaine immediately apologized with a chuckle, apparently finding the situation very funny even if Sam was about to die with anxiety.

"As I was saying… lately I've been feeling… What are you doing?" Sam all but yelled at Blaine as the latter suddenly tried to grab the flame of the candle between them.

"Ouch! It hurts!" Blaine exclaimed, looking at his hand as if he was offended that it dared to hurt.

"Of course it hurts, Blaine, you just touched fire!" Sam scolded him in an unbelieving tone, as he took Blaine's hand in his to make sure his idiot of a friend hadn't really hurt himself.

"I wanted to see if I could blow it up with my fingers, but it hurt and I wasn't ready for that!" Blaine answered with a frown and a pout –and yes, he look adorable like that– that immediately made Sam realize what was really happening.

"Are you drunk?" Sam asked, already knowing the answer –no wonder his eyes looked so bright.

"No" Blaine answered, and Sam could see he was not trying to lie, he just hadn't probably realized how drunk he was himself.

"Oh my God, you're so drunk!" Sam replied with a laugh as he wet a napkin with the remains of his water glass and took care of Blaine's injured hand with it.

"I'm not!" Blaine protested, his pout even more evident than before.

"Gosh, I knew you were easy to get drunk, but not that easy!" Sam commented, hardly capable of stop laughing –especially when Blaine's indignant expression just got more accentuated–. "You just had a little whine while eating!"

"I'm not drunk, I'm just happy" Blaine tried to defend himself, but the way his words were slightly slurred only managed to prove Sam's point right.

"And drunk" Sam added.

"Well, that would be your fault then, for making me drink wine" Blaine protested, and the pout on his lips made him look so cute that it was all Sam could do not to kiss him right there and then.

"I didn't exactly force it down your throat…" Sam replied, as he could now clearly remember how Blaine had had more than his share of wine –how could he forget something like that could happen to little Blaine, who could easily get drunk with just one beer? Who could practically fall unconscious with a bit of cough syrup? He should have anticipated that when planning the perfect scenario for his declaration of love, which had been, once again, ruined, by the way.

"That might be true" Blaine admitted, and just like that his adorable smile returned to his perfect lips. "Sorry"

"It's okay, you're funny when you're drunk" Sam was forced to admit with a chuckle, even if he was feeling quite disappointed that he had been so close… "I think we should get going, before they see you and they realize no adult would get drunk like that with a bit of whine"

"Are you calling me a baby?" Blaine joked, pretending to be offended.

"Yeah, that's exactly what I'm doing" Sam joked back as he stood up and grabbed his jacket from the backrest. "Let's pay at the till, I don't want to stay here one minute longer than necessary"

Blaine quickly obeyed, too wasted to be making decisions for himself, but by then his balance was clearly not at its best and would have ended face-first on the floor if not by Sam's quick intervention, who threw an arm around Blaine's waist while holding the chair up with his other hand before it also hit the floor.

"Is your friend okay?" Sam heard the waiter's voice behind him while he tried to maneuver Blaine into a straighter position, and one quick look around made Sam notice they were attracting more than a bit of attention.

"He's just a little dizzy" Sam dismissively answered as he got a better grip on Blaine's waist and took his jacket for him. "If you would be so kind so as to get our check ready, we will pay at the bar"

"Sure" the waiter said, and Sam could see he was starting to get suspicious about their behavior so he just rushed even more, making sure to hold Blaine with a tight grip even if the latter seemed to have regained his balance by then.

Once at the bar, Sam quickly got his wallet out of his pocket –as Blaine loudly complained about their need to go fifty-fifty– and paid for the dinner before rushing Blaine outside in case someone wanted to scold them for drinking –though that was probably not going to happen, as it had been their fault for selling alcohol to two teenagers in the first place, after all.

"You think you can walk on your own?" Sam asked once outside.

"I don't know… I don't think so" Blaine answered, and if he didn't know any better, Sam would have thought that Blaine was only trying to keep Sam's arms around him –and well, since Sam wanted to keep them around him anyway…

"Ok, I'll help you, but you need to put on your jacket first, it's pretty chilly and we don't want you falling sick on top of everything, right?" Sam said while tenderly helping Blaine into his jacket and then offering his arm for Blaine to hook his around it for support.

None of them said a word for a minute as they walked towards the car, relishing on the comfort of their linked arms. It felt so exciting and familiar at the same time that if Sam still had any doubts about his feelings for Blaine, they vanished in an instant.

"I'm sorry I ruined your date" Blaine's slurred and repentant voice took him out of his reverie, and he looked so honest that Sam could only smile reassuringly at his friend.

"It's okay, it's not like you did it on purpose" Sam answered, affectionately ruffling Blaine's hair with his free hand.

"And you are even wearing a tie! You look so handsome!" Blaine exclaimed, already having forgotten about his regret to praise Sam's good looks –as his tongue was obviously looser than usual thanks to the alcohol in him.

"Well, thanks" Sam answered with a blush, knowing that Blaine's drunkenness was only making him being completely honest.

"Well, you _are_ so handsome" Blaine insisted, looking at Sam like he was the whole universe.

"Am I?" Sam asked, needing to gulp at the intensity in Blaine's eyes.

"You really are. Really Gorgeous. And hot! Like the hottest guy on Earth!" Blaine added, again moving from one emotion to another just like that.

"Even more than Chris Evans?" Sam joked, trying to regain a light atmosphere before he got too moved and ended up blurting out something he didn't want to say like that, knowing how much Blaine liked the blond actor.

"Even more" Blaine answered without the slightest hesitation. "You're the hottest Evans in the world"

"I seriously doubt that, but thanks anyway" Sam answered with a laugh as they reached the car and let Blaine to rest against its side while he went to open the passenger's door for him.

"Hey, do you think I have a thing for blond guys named Evans?" Blaine suddenly asked with a thoughtful expression on his face.

"You have a thing?" Sam asked, and even if he didn't want to talk about something like that in those circumstances, it was too great an occasion to let pass to know if Blaine still felt the same way he did–. "Like you still having feelings…?"

But before he could finish the question, Blaine's face palled dramatically. Sam got scared for a second… did Blaine hate the idea of having feelings for him so much? But then Blaine ran away a few yards and half hid behind a tree to throw up the contents of his stomach. And even if Sam felt all the sympathy in the world for his friend and how lousy he seemed to be feeling at the moment, he also felt immensely relieved that his discomfort didn't have anything to do with him –and that Blaine, quite probably, still had feelings for him.

"I don't feel so good" Blaine said in a pitiful voice as he returned to the car and let himself fall between Sam's outstretched arms for some much-needed comfort.

"I can see that" Sam answered with a fond chuckle as he comfortingly rubbed Blaine's back while he held him to his chest, incredibly moved that Blaine would turn to him for console when he was feeling so low. "I'm going to get you home now, ok?"

"Ok" Blaine agreed while letting himself be manhandled into the passenger's seat.

* * *

The short trip back to Blaine's home was done absolutely in silence, as Blaine fell asleep as soon as Sam fastened his seatbelt, and the latter didn't even turn on the radio for fear of disturbing him. And because hearing Blaine's little puffs of air every time that he breathed was far more enjoyable to him and to his aching heart.

He knew that Blaine was alone at home that weekend –as usual–, so the idea of just leaving him there on his condition didn't sound so good to the kind-hearted blond boy. And he had told Burt and Carol there was a chance that he would end up sleeping over at Blaine's anyway, so there really was no decision to make: he would stay with Blaine and make sure he would survive the night… and the hangover he was surely going to sport in the morning. Because in spite of the feelings and the complications between them, Blaine was still and foremost his best friend, and he needed to take care of him and make sure he would be alright.

"Blainey?" Sam whispered as he gently shook Blaine's shoulder so as not to frighten him awake. "We're home now"

"I don't want to go home" Blaine murmured, still more asleep than awake.

"Why not?" Sam asked in surprise. He had thought Blaine would be dying to go home and to his own bed, after how horrible he was feeling.

"I don't want to be alone" Blaine confessed, breaking Sam's heart in the process: he more than suspected that Blaine felt lonely sometimes, after having to spend weekend after weekend on his own when his parents went away, but the shorter boy had never said it so explicitly. "I don't want you to leave me"

"And how about if I stay with you?" Sam suggested, even if he had already decided that a while ago.

"Really?" Blaine asked, even daring to open his eyes and look hopefully at Sam, trying to decipher if the taller boy was not just saying it to get him out of the car.

"Of course really" Sam answered as his hand moved involuntarily to an escaped curl on the side of Blaine's head to play with it. "I'm not going to leave you alone like that, am I?"

Before Blaine could even close his mouth at the surprise of just how amazingly kindhearted and perfect his best friend was, Sam was already out of the car and opening the passenger door for him. Sam debated with himself if he should just take Blaine in his arms and take him inside, but in the end he contented himself with helping him out of the car and putting his arms around his smaller friend and guide him until they were at his room and he could gently leave him on his bed.

"Let's get you ready for bed, shall we?" Sam gently said as he kneeled next to him to take his shoes off.

"Why do we have to be impossible, Sam?" Blaine suddenly asked, clearly moved at the tenderness in which his best friend was taking care of him.

"What?" Sam answered as he rested his hands on Blaine's thighs from his kneeling position to look into the intoxicated boy's suddenly sad eyes.

"Why can't we happen?" Blaine insisted, and there was so much sadness in his eyes that it broke Sam's heart, even if he didn't know what he was talking about.

"I'm afraid I'm not following you, buddy" Sam tried to made sense of Blaine's words as his hands comfortingly squeezed the shorter boy's legs.

"I wish you could just love me" Blaine said as a lonely tear fell down his cheek.

"But I do love you, Blaine" Sam answered before he could stop himself, his thumb rushing to catch the offending tear from his friend's face.

"Not what I meant" Blaine replied with a sad chuckle as he furiously rubbed his eyes to avoid any more tears finding their way down his skin.

"I know exactly what you mean, B, but I don't want to talk about that when I positively know you won't remember in the morning" Sam answered as he gently pushed Blaine's upper body down and lifted Blaine's legs so he would end up comfortably lying on his bed, his heart aching to tell him how much he loved him indeed and how not impossibly at all they were. "When I tell you, I want it to be special. I want to make sure you will never forget"

Sam could see Blaine was not understanding what he was saying in his drunken state, which reinforced Sam's opinion that it was absolutely not the right time to be talking about that. And yes, he had failed once again, but he would just find a better occasion somehow. Though he couldn't stop a small smile breaking into his lips at the confirmation that Blaine was still head over heels for him.

"Meanwhile I'll just take care of you" Sam said as he sat down on the bed, next to Blaine, and gently caressed his cheek with his knuckles, trying to offer some comfort to the obviously sad boy.

"Ok, Sammy" Blaine answered, already in a better mood, before he abruptly sat up to kiss Sam's cheek. And it was all Sam could do not to turn his head slightly so their lips would connect, as he was dying to happen, but he refrained himself: he didn't want their first kiss to be like that. "You're the best"

"No, you're the best" Sam very honestly answered as he absentmindedly rubbed the spot on his face where Blaine's lips had made contact with his skin.

"What did I do to deserve you, Sammy?" Blaine asked as he lay down again and curled on his side in an adorable way that made Sam smile fondly at him, grabbing Sam's hand in his in pillowing the side of his head on it.

Unable to move thanks to Blaine's ferocious grip on his hand that prevented him from moving away from the bed, Sam chuckled and did the only thing he could: lie down next to him –it was not a big deal, as they had shared a bed countless times before in their sleepovers.

Though of course this time Blaine was feeling much more affectionate than usual, and as soon as Sam's back made contact with the mattress, Blaine let go of his hand and slid down to him so he could snuggle up to his chest and rest his head on Sam's shoulder.

And once Sam was able to get his heart to start beating again, he put his own arms around the smaller boy on his chest and squeezed him strongly to him, holding his head to his own shoulder in an intimate way before moving to rest a light kiss on his forehead.

"You deserve the whole world, B" Sam whispered while caressing the curls on the back of his Blaine's head, even though the latter was already dead to the world. "And I will give it to you"

 **DATE-ATTEMPT NUMBER 4**

Maybe the problem was the he wanted to plan everything too much. Every time he had tried taking Blaine on a date he had thought about every possible detail, and had gotten very frustrated when things hadn't gone like planned. Maybe if he left some of those things to fate it wouldn't be so difficult, right?

That's why he tried that strategy the next weekend. Blaine had told him he had to go to the dentist that afternoon –he had been having toothache all week, poor thing–, so Sam immediately volunteered to borrow his car again and pick him up after his visit so they could hang out after that. It was Saturday, after all, so he knew Blaine wouldn't have made any other plans. And once Blaine got out of the dentist, they would decide together what they would do, as long as it was funny, romantic and gave them the chance to talk. Only this time Sam would make sure Blaine knew it was a date from the beginning, so when the time to tell him he loved him came, he would be ready to hear it. And that's why he, again, had decided to bring Blaine some flowers he knew he would appreciate. And he would make sure that Blaine knew it was not a joke that time.

It was taking Blaine far too long to appear, though. Sam had been parked at the dentist's door for almost an hour, and Blaine still hadn't showed up. Sam was getting increasingly worried –maybe it was more serious than they had thought? Maybe he had gotten dizzy or something? What if he had had an allergic reaction to the anesthesia and they were trying to save his life? Ok, Sam, he thought, relax. This love thing was getting out of his hands!

Fortunately he saw Blaine through the rear-view mirror coming to the car only a few minutes later and he sighed with relief. A relief that didn't last long when he noticed the expression on his face as he entered the car.

"Hey" Blaine greeted him without his usual smile, his voice sounding different because of the fact that half his mouth seemed to be still under the effects of anesthesia.

"Hey, what's with the sad face?" Sam immediately asked worriedly, as his hand found its way to Blaine's thigh to squeeze it reassuringly.

"It was horrible at the dentist" Blaine explained, and Sam was appalled to see he seemed to be on the verge of tears. "They had to pull the tooth out"

"Oh no, you okay?" Sam asked, throwing his arm around Blaine's shoulders in a half embrace, because the poor guy seemed like he really needed a hug.

"No" Blaine admitted, letting his head fall on Sam's warm shoulder for a second. "I'm sorry I'm being such a whiner, but I didn't know it was going to be so painful and uncomfortable"

"Here, let me make it better" Sam said, enveloping Blaine totally with his arms this time for a full embrace, knowing how much Blaine needed the physical contact when he was feeling down –especially if it was Sam himself giving it to him–. And Sam was more than willing to provide it, he thought as he silently traced invisible and comforting patterns with his gentle hands on Blaine's back.

"I'm sorry I'm acting like a little kid but I can't help it" Blaine said, his voice muffled with Sam's sweater, as his face was deeply buried on his neck as if he wanted to hide from the world for a while.

"No, please, don't apologize, of course you feel bad after having a tooth removed, I'm sure it hurts a lot" Sam understandingly replied, hating to see Blaine in less than an excellent mood –especially if he seemed like he was trying hard not to cry.

"I was going to call you to cancel, I only decided not to because it's you" Blaine explained once he was able to calm down and break the embrace.

"Really?" Sam asked, getting a warm feeling in his chest –as he did every time Blaine made him feel special, which he did quite often.

"Yes, and you're great and with you everything is easy and funny and uncomplicated" Blaine explained, and Sam took advantage of the moment Blaine turned around to fasten his seatbelt to hide the flowers behind his seat, realizing that talking about their feelings was the last thing Blaine needed that evening –he only needed his best friend that day. "So I figured I could take a little advantage of your friendship so you could cheer me up"

"Of course, dude, that's what best friends are for" Sam didn't hesitate to answer as he playfully punched Blaine's arm.

"Did you have anything planned? 'Cause I can't eat until tomorrow, and no solids even then, I'm sorry" Blaine apologizing, lamenting how he was ruining Sam's evening.

"I was going to suggest the movies" Sam lied. "But since you're feeling poorly… Why don't we go to yours? We can have a quiet evening, and I'll even spoil you a little"

"You'd do that for me?" Blaine asked, looking at Sam as if he was the most amazing being in the Earth.

"Of course, Blaine, you know how much I love you" Sam said before he could stop himself, and he prayed that it had sounded just friendly.

"But it's Saturday and you've spent the week telling me how much you needed to go out this week, I can't ask you to lock yourself in my home just because I'm behaving like a kid" Blaine not-surprisingly protested, but of course Sam was having none of that: if Blaine was not feeling alright, there was no way he could turn his back on him. Or even want to do it.

"You're not behaving like a kid and you didn't ask me anything, I offered" Sam tried to make him see as he reassuringly squeezed his shoulder. "And since when spending the evening with you is a sacrifice?"

Blaine's smile at hearing that was a bit weird, considering he couldn't move half of his mouth, but it still affected Sam the same way it always did, speeding his heart and warming his chest at the same time with the honesty and sweetness of it. So yeah, just to see Blaine smile like that it was all worth it.

"Hey, why don't we stop at mine's first so I can take a few things and we have a sleepover? That way you won't have to be alone while feeling poorly" Sam suggested, and he was almost embedded on his door when Blaine enthusiastically jumped into his arms, full of gratitude.

"Oh my God, Sam, I love you so much" Blaine said as he held onto Sam so strongly he almost left him breathless.

And even if the date had failed yet once again, and Blaine still had no idea about his feelings, it had been almost worth it, Sam thought as he also put his arms around Blaine's smaller frame and deeply breathed onto his neck to inhale his unique essence.

 **DATE-ATTEMPT NUMBER 5**

"Sam! Sam!" Blaine excitedly yelled as he arrived, running, to the choir room, and Sam barely had time to take his bag off the chair next to him –as he obviously had been saving Blaine a seat– before the smaller boy let himself fall at his side.

"What, what?" Sam joked, imitating Blaine's tone until the latter took a moment to chuckle and breathe –though there were few things Sam loved more than seeing Blaine so excited about something.

"Don't laugh at me" Blaine protested as he playfully slapped Sam's arm while the latter laughed unashamedly. "I'm thinking about not telling you now"

"Come on, don't be so whiny and tell me already" Sam pleaded, needing to know what had gotten Blaine so adorably excited.

"Ok" Blaine quickly agreed, as he was dying to share his happiness with his best friend. "Guess what show is coming to Lima next week directly from New York for a one-night only performance… Well, they're not coming just to Lima, they're on tour but whatever"

"Stop babbling and tell me" Sam encouraged him, fondly smiling at the way Blaine always got remarkably chatty when he was excited.

" _Cabaret_!" Blaine almost yelled, and by the expression on his face anyone would think it was the best thing that had ever happened to him. "Can you believe that? It's an amateur company who just started getting professional, but I heard they're really good and well, come on, it's _Cabaret_!"

"That's amazing, dude" Sam answered while reciprocating Blaine's contagious smile, even if he didn't get why it was so important –and why did Blaine love musicals so much–, though it was true that they didn't get a lot of chances to see live theatre, much less musicals, in a town like theirs so it was not such a big surprise that Blaine would get so excited about it.

"I might ask Tina to accompany me" Blaine continued, his non-stop talking far from being over yet. "I know it's not the ideal solution after how things are between her and me because it might give her the wrong idea, but I don't want to go alone and she's still my friend and I know she…"

"Hey, I'll go with you" Sam quickly offered, both because he would never miss the chance to spend some time with Blaine –especially with something that clearly made him so happy– and well… because if he thought he was going to let him go anywhere alone with Tina after the varporub accident some weeks ago he had another thing coming.

"No, you don't need to" Blaine refused with a grateful smile.

"You don't want me to go with you?" Sam asked, offended at the idea that Blaine would rather go with Tina than with him.

"Sam, you coming with me would be like the best possible thing happening to me in like a month!" Blaine honestly replied, and Sam was so relieved that he couldn't help but to smile goofily at him. "But I know you don't like musicals that much, and we don't know how this one is going to turn out, so…"

"Don't be silly, of course I'll go with you. I might not like musicals that much, but I like spending time with you… Especially when it's so obvious you're so excited about it" Sam honestly answered, just before a bulb lit in his mind: yes! There it was! The perfect plan for the perfect date! Blaine would already be so happy for the chance to see a live musical, and going to the theatre together seemed like such a romantic plan…

"Really?" Blaine asked with the most hopeful smile at his face, looking at Sam as if he couldn't believe someone could be so kind to him.

"Of course really, B!" Sam answered with a laugh, ecstatic that he could so easily make Blaine happy –just as the other way around–. "We'll go to your play together and we'll have an amazing time!"

"Thanks, Sammy, you're the best!" Blaine exclaimed gratefully while embracing him and resting a quick but loving kiss on his cheek, unaware of how it made Sam's skin blush and his heart beat faster. "Oh my God, I can't believe I'm watching _Cabaret_ live!"

And he looked so adorable, practically hoping on his seat with excitement, that Sam thought he could smother him in kisses right then and there, but then the rest of the members of the glee club started appearing so it was not even a possibility. Though even that couldn't dampen his spirits as he hoped that, after their fifth attempt of a date which was so absolutely perfect that couldn't possibly go wrong, smothering Blaine with kisses would be a daily thing. And he couldn't wait for it.

* * *

It couldn't possibly go wrong, Sam ironically reminded himself with a bitter chuckle only a couple of days later as he sneezed one time after the other while trying to get ready for his date with Blaine. His head felt foggy and his knees felt like they wouldn't be able to hold his weight for much longer. Adding that to the fact he didn't think he had ever felt colder than he did at the moment, he more than suspected that he was sporting a nice fever.

Great. Just… did it have to happen precisely that day? Couldn't have that damned cold just waited one more day, when he would have already told Blaine he loved him and Blaine and he would already be an issue?

But no, no way. He refused for it to fail again. It was starting to feel like a sign that they shouldn't be together and he was not willing to listen to it. Nothing was going to ruin the perfect date: he would pretend he was alright. He was a good actor when he wanted to be, so Blaine wouldn't even notice.

His phone beeped, which probably meant that Blaine was already at his car, waiting for him in front of his door. Damn it, he wasn't even ready yet, and he couldn't deny he looked horrible. But since there was nothing he could do more than pretend he was fine –he would even have been willing to use make-up to cover the bags under his eyes or the flush of his cheeks if Burt and Carol (and therefore Carol's make up) weren't away to New York to visit Kurt for the weekend–, he guessed it didn't really matter what he wore, he thought as he generously threw some water on his face freshen up and to get more alert.

So after throwing the warmest sweater he possessed over the shirt he had previously picked up –even if they were already at spring–, he breathed deeply to give himself some strength to move and finally got out of the house to see Blaine smiling at him from his car.

"Hey" Sam greeted his friend when he entered the car.

"Hey, Sam, ready for…? Hey, what's wrong?" Blaine interrupted his own question as soon as he caught a glimpse of Sam's face. Yeah, like he wasn't going to notice right away. Right.

"Nothing" Sam immediately answered, even if a couple of sneezes betrayed him. "Let's get going"

"We're not going anywhere, Sam, you look terrible. Do you have a fever?" Blaine asked, his voice full of worry as he drove his hand to Sam's forehead, and then he pressed the back of his fingers tenderly against the blond's cheek. "Yes, you do. Come on, let's get you into bed"

"What? No! Blaine, I'm alright, you don't…" Sam tried to protest until he noticed he was alone in the car, as Blaine had already gotten out and was opening the passenger door for him.

"Come on, get out of the car and let's get back to the house" Blaine encouraged him, looking sternly at him as if to let him know it was not open for debate.

"No, I want to go with you to the theatre" Sam protested, though he had seen that look on Blaine's face before and he knew it meant he was going to end up doing what Blaine wanted.

"Either you go out on your own feet or I'll get you there in my arms somehow, and you know I'll do it. You choose"

And Sam really knew he would do it, so he sighed in frustration and finally got out of the car. He didn't have time to notice how dizzy he was feeling that Blaine had already put his arms around him to balance him and was gently pushing him towards the house. So yeah, Sam felt like the worst person ever for ruining Blaine's play, even if involuntarily, but he had to admit that he idea of letting himself be pampered and spoilt by the boy he so dearly loved sounded really really good.

"Come on, lie down" Blaine whispered tenderly to him, and Sam realized they had somehow already reached his room and Blaine was helping him into his bed, already lifting up the covers so he could tuck him in as soon as he lay down.

"Blaine, I'm really not that bad" Sam lied even if he couldn't help a satisfied sigh when his head contacted with the pillow and Blaine instantly covered him up with so much care anyone would think Sam was made of glass.

"You're bad enough" Blaine contradicted him as he walked across the room to close the curtains, so the last rays of sun wouldn't fall on Sam's face and disturb his sleep.

"But you wanted to see that play so much, I feel so bad for spoiling it for you" Sam lamented as he watched Blaine move around the room as if it was his own –and Sam loved the familiarity of it– getting everything he thought Sam would need, like extra pillows and water bottles and paper tissues.

"Well, it's not like it's your fault, don't worry" Blaine answered reassuringly, even taking the time to sit at the edge of Sam's bed to make sure he knew he was not blaming him for anything.

"At least you go" Sam begged him even if it would break his heart to let him go –but he really didn't want Blaine to miss something that meant so much to him–. "You can ask Tina, I'm sure she'll be delighted to go with you"

"And leave you alone like this? No way" Blaine refused instantly, clearly stating that way that he had no intention to change his mind about it.

"But you really wanted to watch that play" Sam insisted as he took an arm out of the covers to grab on Blaine's wrist, just for the sake of it as he knew he was not going to convince the most kindhearted boy ever to just leave him alone while he was sick.

"There will be other plays" Blaine answered with a shrug of shoulders as he took Sam's hand and gently put it back under the covers so he wouldn't get cold.

"But…" Sam tried to insist, but Blaine didn't even let him finish.

"Sam, there will be other plays but there will never be other people as important as you are to me" he answered before he could stop himself, and there was so much intensity in his voice that they were both left speechless for a second, though Blaine recovered first. "And now… how about some chicken broth?"

"Are you going to start cooking for me now?" Sam joked, trying to lighten the mood of the room a bit.

"What I wouldn't do for you" Blaine answered, and Sam knew he was only half joking. "Just rest, I'll be back as quick as I can"

* * *

Sam woke up slowly as he felt a tender hand gently rubbing his shoulder, and for a moment he wondered where he was and who that hand belonged to. But then everything came back to him in a rush and he guessed it must be Blaine waking him up so gently, so he didn't waste a second to open his eyes –not wanting to disappoint his friend.

"Sam, I hate to wake you up, but you need to get something in your stomach before you take the medicines" Blaine whispered near his ear, making Sam shiver –and for once it didn't have anything to do with his high temperature.

"What medicines?" Sam asked in confusion, turning onto his back so he could look at Blaine's beautiful face more easily.

"The ones I just bought for you" Blaine explained as he signaled to Sam's bedside table, where there were so many syrups and bottles of pills that it almost seemed as if he was starting a small drugstore business.

"You went out to buy medicines?" Sam asked in surprise. He knew Blaine was a sweetheart, but that was too much even for him.

"Well, of course, how are you supposed to get better without medicines?" Blaine answered as if it was the most ridiculous question in the world. "I had to go out to buy the ingredients for the chicken broth anyway, so it really wasn't a bother"

"You were serious about cooking for me?" Sam asked in utter astonishment, not having realized until then the tray laying on Blaine's legs and the delicious aroma filling the room.

"What made you think I was joking?" Blaine asked with a chuckle as he motioned for Sam to sit up, which he instantly complied so Blaine could pass him the tray. "Careful, is very hot, though I don't think you should wait too long because it will help to ease your throat while it's still warm"

Sam couldn't find it in himself to close his mouth for a second, so widely open it was from the surprise at the extents Blaine had gone for him just to make him feel better and how amazing the petite boy was. But as soon as he did, he took the spoon Blaine was offering and tasted the broth. And gosh, it had to be the best thing he had ever tasted!

"Oh my God, this is so delicious, Blaine" Sam praised him as soon as he swallowed and just before going for another spoonful.

"I know, I'm the best carer ever" Blaine joked without a hint of arrogance in his voice, and Sam wondered for a second if he would ever find a bad trait on him or he was indeed as perfect as he seemed to be –and yeah, he was aware he might be a bit biased given how totally in love was with him, but come on, Blaine was so perfect!

"You really are" Sam answered totally honest as he continued eating.

Blaine sat on a chair next to the bed and kept talking to him about the most random things as Sam ate, so the blond suspected he was just trying to keep him entertained so he wouldn't remember about how lousy he was feeling. But as soon as Sam finished the bowl he had prepared for him, Blaine was all action again, giving Sam some of the medicines he needed to take without giving him the chance to refuse. And when Sam took the last of the pills, he noticed Blaine was sitting on the edge of the bed with a conflicted face as he held something in his hand, which made Sam worry about him immediately even through his fever.

"What's wrong, B?"

"Nothing, it's just…" Blaine tried to explain, and then he showed the little bottle he was holding to Sam so he could see it was vaporub. "I think you should have some vaporub for the congestion in your chest but…"

Sam almost smiled when he understood about Blaine's dilemma: he really think Sam needed that kind of medicine, but was afraid of suggesting rubbing it on him because that irrational fear he always had about seeming predatory to other guys, even if Sam had never felt awkward about their easy relationship and their very affectionate physical demonstrations. It also probably had something to do with how Tina had rubbed that thing on Blaine while he was unconscious and how vulnerable and upset that had made him feel, so he probably didn't want for Sam to feel the same way –much less if it was him causing it.

"I know you're not Tina and you don't want to take advantage of me, you silly" Sam tried to reassure him as he unbuttoned his shirt in a casual way to make Blaine understand it was more than alright for him to apply the medicine on him. "Besides, unlike you were, I'm pretty awake right now, you know?"

Blaine seemed to hesitate for a second –and it broke Sam's heart to know that Blaine was always so afraid of taking too many liberties with other boys, without knowing how much Sam would want him to–, but in the end he just gave Sam a little smile and agreed.

"Alright" he said in a soft tone as he got some of the product on the tip of his fingers and started spreading it through Sam's chest.

Sam tried to stay still so as not to scare Blaine away, but he was finding it really difficult not to show how affected he was to feel Blaine's gentle hand moving so carefully across his skin, though he was very careful to remain in a safe area all the time, avoiding nipples or going too low on Sam's chest. And not for the first time Sam wished Blaine would be a little more forward. But he also knew he had been more troubled about the Tina incident –for which Sam sometimes still felt like he could strangle her– than he let on, so the vaporub only helped to make him feel even more awkward.

"You should take advantage now that your shirt is off to change into his pajamas" Blaine suggested once he was finished and he found one of Sam's pajamas in his closet so he could change.

"Thanks, B. I feel better already" Sam felt the need to thank him after doing that for him considering how awkward he knew it had made Blaine feel, especially when he noticed he had turned his back to him to give him some privacy to change, even if they had changed in front of each other a thousand times before.

"I'm really glad" Blaine answered once Sam was finished, his easy smile returning to his face once again, and warming Sam's heart like it usually did. "And now do you want to sleep again? You must feel tired"

"Not that much right now" Sam contradicted him because there was no way he was ready to separate from sweet little Blaine just yet. "Maybe we could watch a movie or something"

"Sure" Blaine readily agreed, as he probably wasn't ready to say goodbye just yet either, while moving to take Sam's laptop from his desk to hand it to its owner.

"Which one do you want?" Sam asked as he navigated through the different folders of his computer.

"You pick, you're ill" Blaine answered matter-of-factly, making Sam turn to him again in amazement.

"Are you always that great with sick people?" Sam asked in utter admiration for his friend.

"Not really. Just you" Blaine confessed while blushing adorably.

"Oh" Sam answered with a chuckle, trying not to show how moved he was about being so special for Blaine. "Because I could get used to this and… get sick more often"

"Don't. I hate seeing you sick" Blaine answered, more seriously than intended.

"Ok" Sam agreed, hating to see Blaine so worried about him and wanting to do something for him in exchange. "But if I pass the cold on you and you get sick, I promise to take care of you too, ok?"

"I wouldn't expect anything less from you" Blaine answered with a chuckle.

Once again Blaine started pampering Sam with extra pillows, squeezing some fresh orange juice for him, making sure he would have water near if he needed it and tuckering the blankets more securely around him, until he couldn't do anything else to make Sam more comfortable. And then he stood pensively again for a second, making Sam wonder how he managed not to go crazy with so many thoughts always swirling around his head.

"What's wrong?" he asked again, seeing as Blaine was still looking at him as if he trying to make a decision.

"You're going to fall asleep like this" Blaine commented, signaling at Sam's laying position.

"So? I thought that was what you wanted" Sam replied, because he knew that was what Blaine was really aiming for even if Sam didn't have any intention of complying.

"It is, but I need to ask you something first" Blaine said, and he hesitated for a second before continuing –maybe he had noticed about Sam's feeling somehow? Maybe he didn't reciprocate them and he didn't feel comfortable with their close dynamics anymore?–. But no, Blaine was still going to surprise him even further. "Do you think I could stay for the night? I really don't want to leave you alone like this"

"You realize this is just a cold and I'm not going to die from it, right?" Sam asked with a tender smile, incredibly moved that Blaine would worry about him so much.

"I know, but… it would make me feel better to know you're being looked after. You know, just in case you got a turn for the worse or something"

"Are you really asking for my permission to take care of me? You're not even real, are you?"

"Of course I am" Blaine answered, visibly blushing at Sam's appraisal. "It's just… that I want you to be okay"

"Ok, you can stay, but only…"

"What?"

"If you lie down here with me and let me cuddle up to you. You know, because I'm sick" Sam said with a ridiculous pout that immediately made Blaine laugh.

"Of course" Blaine answered as he lifted the covers for a second to get underneath them and lay down with his shoulders and head against the headboard so as not to lie too flat to see the movie and then motioned for Sam to nestle on his chest. Which he immediately did.

And as Sam lie on Blaine's chest, strongly wrapped into his arms as if Blaine was trying to pass some of his strength into him through his embrace, with sleep slowly claiming him thanks to the medication and his full stomach just as Blaine had predicted, Sam wondered if it was possible to love more than how he loved Blaine in that moment.

Even if Blaine still didn't know.

 **NO MORE DATE-ATTEMPTS**

Of course with Blaine's gentle caring, Sam was on his feet again in no time and feeling better than ever. Except that he now spent half his days watching Blaine with hawk eyes, expecting him to fall ill after sleeping with him while he was sick. Sleeping in the same bed, he meant. Unfortunately that was all that happened.

Blaine still hadn't shown any symptoms of feeling under the weather even in the slightest, but Sam knew how good he was at faking he was alright when he wasn't, so he needed to watch him closer. And Blaine knew he was doing it, and he constantly caught him watching him and told him to stop it with a laugh, but Sam couldn't stop himself, especially after how great he had been to him while he was sick.

The other halves of his days were spent trying to decipher what the hell was wrong with them that they couldn't even have a successful date, as hard as he tried. Five failed attempts really looked like too many. And the worst thing is he had run out of ideas.

As he had so many things in his head and he didn't feel like being alone, he had asked Blaine to go to his that afternoon, with the excuse of needing some help with his homework –to which he positively knew Blaine would never say no, as he always tried to help Sam as much as he could with his studies, kindhearted as he was.

And there they were now: Blaine was lying on Sam's bed, on his stomach, while doing some of his own homework, as Sam sat to his desk, pretending to study. Though he was not pretending so much, as he had been looking intently at the other boy for a while now. But who could blame him, Blaine looked so adorable there, all concentrated on his papers as he absentmindedly bit on his pencil, moving his feet on the air without even noticing because of his inability to stay still… And it was all Sam could do not to tell him he loved him in that very moment.

But wait… why not? Yeah, he had wanted for the moment to be special, everything Blaine deserved, but that hadn't happened. And now that he thought about it… what was more special than the moment they were living right there? When they felt so comfortable with each other than Blaine was lying on his bed as if it wasn't a big deal, when none of them even felt the need to speak because just being near each other was enough, when they were so familiar with that situation that it felt like they had been together forever?

Maybe he didn't need a big spectacle to let Blaine he loved him. Maybe he only needed to say it.

"Stop staring at me, I swear I'm not falling ill yet" Blaine joked without even raising his gaze from his essay and Sam would have chuckled at how nothing ever escaped Blaine's attention if he wasn't about to pass out from nervousness about what he was going to do.

"No, I… I wanted to talk to you about something" Sam answered with a gulp, and he must have sounded pretty serious because Blaine's eyes quickly turned to him and the sweet smile he had been sporting until then vanished in an instant.

"Oh, ok" Blaine apprehensively answered as he sat up to give Sam his whole attention, only helping to reinforce Sam into his decision that it was the perfect way to do it –and that he loved Blaine with all his heart.

"Look, Blaine, I've been meaning to tell you something for some time, and I was trying to find the right moment, or more accurately to create the right moment, but unfortunately that didn't happen and I can't wait any longer so I'm just going to say it, okay?" Sam babbled out in a rush, afraid of losing his courage if he so much as stopped to breathe.

"Of course, Sam" Blaine encouraged him, his eyes full of worry for his friend. "You know you can tell me anything, right? Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm alright, just… nervous" Sam answered in reassurance, not wanting to give Blaine any more reasons to worry. "It's a pretty huge thing"

"Then say it" Blaine pleaded, as he was probably even more nervous than Sam by then.

"Blaine, I'm…" Sam hesitated, but then he decided he didn't need to hesitate with Blaine because Blaine was perfect. It was as simple as that. "I'm in love with you"

Even though Sam had imagined like a million different reactions in his friend when he confessed his love to him, for Blaine to remain quiet and petrified for so long, eyes huge and mouth half open, was not one of them.

"You know, it would be nice if you said something" Sam pretended to joke, even if it was obvious how anxious he was to get an answer by the shaking of his voice.

"Yeah" Blaine was able to articulate once he regained his ability to breathe.

"You ok?" Sam asked, slightly worried about his friend's catatonic state.

"In shock" Blaine answered softly after a couple of seconds.

"Alright" Sam answered with a chuckle this time. Blaine had always thought that they couldn't happen, he had said that himself the night he got drunk. Of course he was going to have trouble believing all of a sudden that Sam loved him. "Let me get you out of it"

Sam gently made his way to the bed and sat next to the spot where Blaine was sitting, who still had to move. With a gentle smile, Sam cupped Blaine's cheek and so slowly –in case Blaine wanted to stop him– he closed the space between their mouths and joined their lips in an innocent kiss that lingered.

None of them moved for a couple of seconds, as Blaine was still trying to regain the ability to move and Sam didn't want to rush him into anything, but then Blaine breathed out and Sam took it as a signal to deepen the kiss, and he captured Blaine's bottom lip between his own until he noticed Blaine melting into the kiss and he threw his arms around him to bring him closer to him. And when he finally felt Blaine's tongue responding to his movements, and his hands also found their way into the blond's back, Sam finally knew that he had been able to knock down all his resistances.

"Oh my God" Blaine exclaimed once the kiss broke and he only separated enough to rest his forehead against Sam's cheek, panting heavily while trying to regain his breath.

"I know" Sam replied with a chuckle, reinforcing his grip around Blaine's body until they melted into each other's arms.

"So you're not kidding?" Blaine asked, hiding his face on the crook of Sam's neck, almost as if he was afraid to hear the answer.

"Of course I'm not kidding, Blaine" Sam answered as he broke the embrace just so he could look into Blaine's eyes and make him understand how serious he was about it. "I love you"

"You love me?" Blaine answered, his eyes so big and beautiful as they filled with hope that Sam couldn't help it and kissed him again.

"Looks like so" he answered with a laugh as he tenderly deposited a tiny kiss on the tip of Blaine's nose. "Now I'm only hoping you still feel something for me too"

"Of course I do, Sam, I love you so much" Blaine exclaimed enthusiastically as he jumped from his place on the bed to Sam's lap and kissed him, much more passionately this time as he closed his arms around Sam's neck –and Sam's arms did the same around his waist.

"Well, look who got out of his shock" Sam joked once Blaine gave him a second to breathe and the latter could only laugh wholeheartedly at that, so immensely happy he was feeling.

"Shut up, you dork" he answered as he playfully slapped Sam's chest in reprimand. "Wait a minute, you said you had been trying to create the right moment…"

"Yeah, kinda" Sam confessed, blushing slightly at his own confession. "I tried to take you on a date like five times, you just weren't aware of it in any of the occasions"

"So when we went to the lake…"

"Yeah"

"And the night you picked me up from the dentist…."

"Yep"

"And just the other day when you desperately wanted to go to the theatre even if you had a raging fever…"

"I wasn't that bad!" Sam protested with a laugh, glad to be able to finally talk about it with Blaine and laugh about it. "But yeah, that night too. Just like the day I invited you to the movies and you brought the entire glee club with you and I ended ruining up your new sweater or the time you got drunk as I took you to that romantic place. All of those were my ridiculous and failed attempts for our perfect first date, where I was supposed to tell you how much I love you"

"You know you only needed to say it, right?" Blaine said with the most tender smile Sam had seen, though he could see the smaller boy was very moved by it. "I didn't need any paraphernalia"

"But after I rejected you only a few weeks ago…"

"So? You changed your mind, and that's all that matters now"

"And I also needed to make it special so you…" Sam started to explain, but then refrained from it, afraid of Blaine's reaction when he heard what he was about to say.

"So I what?" Blaine insisted, because of course he wasn't going to let him get away with it.

"So you wouldn't want to go back to Kurt when you got to New York" Sam confessed, lowering his gaze so Blaine wouldn't read in his eyes how much that thought scared him.

"Sam, I've been head over heels for you for a long time now" Blaine seriously explained as he cupped both of Sam's cheeks to force him to look at him. "You really think I'm still thinking about Kurt?"

"But you're far away from him now. Once you get to New York…"

"Sam, I'm going to New York for my studies, I'm not going for Kurt" Blaine explained and he sounded so honest that it was very tempting to believe him. "In fact… I wish there was some other way to go to NYADA without having to go there. Without you"

"Really?" Sam asked, in surprise. After the initial time when Kurt broke up with Blaine and Sam had been his shoulder to cry on, they hadn't talked about Kurt a lot, and Sam was surprised that he hadn't realized how much Blaine's feeling towards Kurt had changed. And how afraid he was to leave everything –and him– behind.

"Did you know that Kurt even offered for me to live in his apartment until I found something else and I refused?" Blaine explained, and it seemed really important to him to make Sam understand he wasn't thinking about getting back together with Kurt at all. "Even before you told me you loved me? I'll stay in NYADA's dorms or something, it would be too weird. Both for me and… also for you now"

"Or…" Sam said, almost unable to stop a smiling breaking in his lips at the amazing news he was going to share with his… what, boyfriend?

"Or what?" Blaine asked with anticipation, somewhat sensing that Sam was going to say something good.

"Or we could go to New York together. Since I've been admitted to the Pratt Institute" Sam confessed with a smile, which only got wider when he saw the sudden happiness invading Blaine's gorgeous eyes.

"What?" Blaine exclaimed, practically yelling as he looked intently at Sam's eyes, wanting to make sure he wasn't lying. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I wanted to do it after I told you I love you" Sam confessed, giving Blaine's lips a quick peck in gratitude. "So then I would know if it was wise to suggest that we went to New York together and share an apartment or something"

"Oh my God, Sam, yes! Please, yes!" Blaine excitedly answered as he started showering Sam's face with kisses until he nearly suffocated him and Sam had to stop him.

"I can't breathe" Sam protested as he laughed, his heart warming at the little embarrassed smile breaking on Blaine's lips.

Blaine laughed too and, before Sam was even aware of what he was doing, he pushed the blond until he had him lying onto his back and he quickly snuggled up to his chest. Thinking heaven must be something very similar to that, Sam closed his arms around Blaine's smaller frame and pressed his lips to the top of Blaine's head, feeling he was never going to be able to stop kissing him. And when Blaine sighed in utter contentment and nestled up comfortably on his neck and he started nuzzling him, it was all he could do not to start crying with happiness.

"I can't wait for us to go to New York together" Blaine said, and Sam couldn't help but smile at his change of heart –as only one minute ago he was claiming he didn't want to go–, as it was only for him.

"Yeah, I noticed" Sam joked with a chuckle, his fingers somehow getting lost in the wildness that were the curls on the back of Blaine's head. "But I need to ask you something first: does this means we are together?"

"You want us to be together?" Blaine asked, raising his head from Sam's chest to look intently at him.

"More than anything" Sam admitted without a hint of embarrassment.

"Then we are" Blaine answered contentedly, giving Sam's lips a gentle and slow kiss before resting his face on Sam's chest again. "But you know something?"

"What?"

"You don't know me as well as you think if you thought I needed all that to want to be with you"

"I know you didn't need it" Sam answered honestly as he squeezed Blaine more strongly to him. "But you deserved it"

"So… is there going to be a sixth date?" Blaine asked, kind of mischievously.

"Uggh, come on, all those don't count" Sam protested, mockingly ashamed about all his failed attempts.

"Of course they count! You planned them for me and no one had ever done something like that for me!" Blaine answered, resting a grateful kiss on Sam's chest that went directly to his heart.

"Then yes, there is going to be a sixth date, and a seventh, and an eighth, and a…" Sam joked.

"Ok, ok, stop!" Blaine interrupted him with a laugh. "Why don't we just agree on saying we're dating so we don't have to keep count?"

"Seems like the perfect plan" Sam answered as he put a finger under Blaine's chin to lift his face and kiss those perfect and delicious lips again.

* * *

 _ **A/N:** So? Let me know what you thought ;)_


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